Kieran's Encounter with Dr Jekyll
by WolfKyr
Summary: Kieran is a servant in the household of Dr. Jekyll...and strange things have been happening as of late. Okay, so it's kind of based on everything to do with J&H. Note: My muse is back, and I know where I'm going! More updates! Hooray!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I am in no way, shape, or form, associated in the production, publica tion, or invention of the incredibly cool story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Drat. Reason for writing this: there are not enough Jekyll and Hyde based fanfics, and I am disappointed. So here you go! Read and enjoy! Yay for psychological thrillers! Robert Louis Stevenson, I love you.   
  
Kieran's Encounter with Dr. Jekyll  
  
Right. So I'm thirteen years old, an' I'm living a pretty good life here in merry ol' England. I'm in service, y'see, I work for a doctor. Dr. Henry Jekyll. Couldn't work for a nicer fellow, honestly. He don't beat his servants, he pays us well, and he's fairly easy to serve. One of the best places I've served in, an' that's the truth.   
  
  
  
Things weren't always so great, nah. I arrived here about a year ago, when I was a little rat of twelve. I was a scared little mite, pale and timid all the time. But things were pretty good then too. It's the in-between parts that got a little scary.   
  
  
  
Oy! I guess I should introduce meself. Name's Kieran. Jus' Kieran, or Kier, no last name, don't remember me parents. Right. An' I'm thirteen. And I work for Dr. Henry Jekyll. Are we up to scratch so far? Good.  
  
The trouble all started really when I'd been workin' here for about six months. I'd gotten to know Dr. Jekyll pretty well, y'see, I took care of some of the animals he worked on in his laboratory, so I saw him more often than some of the other servants at the house. We talked sometimes, I tried to keep a rein on meself and not trouble the good doctor with me lowly opinions or thoughts. But sometimes I got a bit too talkative and overstepped myself.  
  
  
  
Which is pretty much what made me notice the trouble with Dr. Jekyll...an' anyway, here's that story, laid out an' easy for you to understand on the surface. Maybe not so much...you know, beneath. But hey, if you're one o' them wonderers, this story is made for you. 


	2. The Crime

Disclaimer: Jekyll and Hyde is the coolest concept ever. Sadly, I do not own it. No, I have  
  
nothing to do with them. And now I am depressed.  
  
Chapter Two: Crime  
  
It was a clear day, not a cloud in sight, when I left the house that morning. I was in high  
  
spirits, almost too high, and Mr. Poole had kept a close eye on me during breakfast. He was  
  
always thinkin' I'd be overstepping myself. Hmph. But my mood was not to be spoiled. I had  
  
plans for this day: get me duties over with as quick as possible, while doing a fine job of it too o'  
  
course, and after I was done for the day, sneak into the library and read something. I let myself  
  
into the laboratory and went to the "Animal Room", as I called it. There were two cats, seven  
  
rabbits, ten mice, two dogs, and a goat. If ya didn't keep a handle on it, the smell could get  
  
somethin' awful, but I kept it as clean as I could. Working in the Animal Room was one of my  
  
favorite duties.   
  
On this particular day, the animals were pretty quiet. I reckoned Dr. Jekyll had spent the night  
  
working with them, as he was prone to do. I checked on all the animals first, making sure none o'  
  
them were sick, and then started cleaning out their cages--my least favorite part of the Animal  
  
Room.   
  
The cats were my favorite, I usually worked the hardest on their cage and tried to sneak them  
  
scraps o' real food as much as I could. I started thinkin' as I worked, not about anything in  
  
particular, just daydreaming. But I guess I got really into it, 'cause the next thing I knew, Dr.  
  
Jekyll was standing next to me and inspecting my work.  
  
"Excellent, Kieran. You've got a talent for working with animals," he said. Dr. Jekyll had a  
  
quiet way of talkin', he was very direct, and his voice was almost piercing.  
  
"Thank you, sir," I said, all submissive and properlike.  
  
He turned to look at me directly. Inwardly, I winced. I was never sure how to handle it when  
  
Dr Jekyll looked straight at me. Was I s'posed to look down, or look back at him? I opted to  
  
inspect the floor this time.  
  
"What would you do, Kieran, if you had no boundaries?" he said. "What would you do...if  
  
you weren't held back by your station? Granted, you can't do much now, you're only a boy...but  
  
if you were an adult? Then what?"  
  
His question caught me by surprise--my eyes flew up to meet his. "Sir?" I choked out. I  
  
didn't know if I could answer his question truthfully...my dream was definitely not something that  
  
a boy of my status should be dreaming.  
  
"Surely you know what I mean, Kieran. If there were no rules, no social classes, no  
  
boundaries for you, what would you do? What would you become?"  
  
Nah, there was no escaping the question for me. And I'd made it a practice never to lie.  
  
"Well sir...I reckon if I could, I'd...want to....well, to be a doctor, sir." I winced as I said it.   
  
That was probably one of the hardest things I'd ever said in me life. Admit my dreams of being a  
  
doctor to a...well, a doctor?! It was insane! If Mr. Poole had overheard...oh, I'd be in such  
  
trouble. How could I be so stupid? I quickly shifted my gaze back to the floor, preparing for the  
  
beating I surely deserved for being so rash.  
  
"A doctor?" Dr. Jekyll slowly repeated. This was my chance to redeem myself, while he was  
  
still in shock from my impetuousness.  
  
"I guess I'd just like helping people, sir. I mean--"  
  
"I think it is an excellent idea, Kieran, and it would certainly be an attainable goal for you."   
  
I just about fainted right there. A good idea?   
  
"A doctor...hmm..." Dr. Jekyll glanced once more around the room, and then at me again, and  
  
then left, as quickly as he'd come.  
  
"Kieran."  
  
At the sound of my name, spoken from behind in that grave, serious voice I had come to  
  
dislike, I turned. Mr. Poole. I winced.   
  
"You have committed a grave error, young man," said Mr. Poole. "You have overstepped  
  
yourself. Dramatically. A doctor? You? Ha!"  
  
I kept my mouth shut. I wanted to talk back so badly, but it wouldn't fare well for me if I did.   
  
I'd probably be tossed out on the streets with not so much as a shilling to my name.  
  
"Such hotheadedness deserves punishment, young man," continued Mr. Poole. "Your  
  
punishment will surely teach you a thing or two about your place in life. There will be no meals  
  
for you for two days, and in addition to extra duties today, you will scrub the outer courtyard  
  
floor, even if it takes you all night." He turned in a fury of black cape and left.  
  
The outer courtyard...what a nightmare. It was huge! I could handle the lack of food, no  
  
problem, but scrubbing the courtyard floors all night? I mean, I had no choice, my new duties  
  
now were going to take me all day, so I'd have to start tonight.   
  
I slowly finished with the animals. "'bye Cinders," I told the girl cat. "Reckon I shoulda kept  
  
me mouth shut, oy?" The cat looked at me impassively. "Reckon that was a yes."  
  
I trudged out of the laboratory and looked up at the sky that had been so bright this morning.  
  
It was starting to rain. 


	3. The Punishment

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't have anything to do with even the concept of Jekyll and Hyde, except my mad obsession with it. And no, Mary Reilly doesn't belong to me either, I borrowed her from Valerie Martin's novel and the movie. But Kieran is mine! So I don't want to see him popping up in any other o' them fanfics, savvy?   
  
Chapter Three: Punishment  
  
  
  
I stood there, staring up at the blackening sky for a while, generally puttin' every curse I knew upon Mr. Poole an' his kin, half expectin' to hear a bloodcurdling scream comin' from his general direction. After a while at this, I got some sense back into me head and went to the house to see what Mr. Poole had cooked up for me to do.  
  
It wasn't so bad, I mean, it coulda been worse. I was to chop some wood for the fires, help Miss Mary Reilly with cleaning the grates an' startin' the fires, an' do whatever else Cook could find for me to do. An' of course, I was to have the enormous courtyard scrubbed spotless by mornin'. Aye. 'Twas gonna be a long night.  
  
It was hard work, choppin' wood. I mostly just thought of what I could be doing at this moment--reading in the library. True, Dr Jekyll didn't have many books that I could truly understand, as he was a man of science, but he did have a few shelves of history books, and poetry.   
  
Helpin' Mary wasn't bad at all. She was my closest friend in this place, and we talked as much as we could. What about didn't matter much, just so long as we got to talk. She was a fair bit older than me, bein' in her early twenties, but that didn't matter either. We got along well and were good friends. So right, helpin' her wasn't so much a punishment, an' it was nice to yap with her for the rest o' the afternoon n' evening. I even helped her polish some silver pieces, it wasn't too hard, and it was fun to see our reflections in the shiny metals. I hadn't seen me own reflection for quite a while, and gave meself a start. My dark, chestnut colored hair stuck out in all directions, I was whiter than a piece o' parchment from Dr. Jekyll's books, an' my dark blue eyes shone like crystal. Scariest thing I ever saw.   
  
Cook didn't give me anythin' else to do, I reckon Mr. Poole had told her about my grand punishment, so she let me off easy. Still, it was already ten o' clock and pourin' rain by the time I got outside to the yard.  
  
I dreaded this. The water I had to use was ice cold, and the water pourin' down on me was almost as bad as snow, what with the wind whippin' around as well. I didn't have a cloak or nothin' to protect me from the rain, although I doubt it would've been much help anyway. So basically I spent the night on me hands and knees, scrubbin' every flagstone of that courtyard til it fair sparkled, if such a thing is possible. An' after a while, I didn't even notice or care what I was doin' anymore. 'Twas too cold and wet and late for me to focus on every little stone. I guess I sorta fell asleep while scrubbin'. At least, I don't remember much of that night.   
  
Now, granted, I may have been cleanin' in my sleep, an' I'm a careful worker, but I ain't a slow one. It took me all night to clean that courtyard--from ten p.m. to 5 a.m., when I was s'posed to get up and start on with my daily duties anyway.   
  
Those two days passed in a blur--what with the extra work, little sleep, and no food. And it wasn't no surprise to me when I started coughin' an' feelin' cold all the time. I figured it'd pass, y'know? I'd had me fair share of sickness, and it more or less'd pass on when it was done with me. I reckoned this wouldn't be no different.  
  
I was wrong. 


	4. The Consequence

Disclaimer: If any of these characters (besides Kieran) belonged to me, I would be rolling in cash and therefore would definitely not be here, typing this. I wouldn't even need a freaking disclaimer. So the logical conclusion here is, since I have a disclaimer, and since I am here typing this, the characters (besides Kieran) do not belong to me. But I get so much enjoyment out of playing with their heads. Constructive criticism is much appreciated but don't be too mean about it or I'll cry. Go read Mary Reilly, by Valerie Martin. It is such an awesome book. It's brilliant! Go read it! Or add it to your MUST READ list, at least. Brilliant book.  
  
Chapter Four: The Consequence  
  
It started with the chills, first off. I thought it was just cold generally, as it was coming on to winter, but I soon noticed not even the roaring fires or the huge kitchen stove could keep me warm. An' it was annoying, being cold all the time. Still, I reckoned I'd be better in a jiff, so I didn't trouble meself nor anyone else with thoughts of illness.  
  
Twas the cough that made me start worryin' though. It began just as soon after I'd finished cleanin' that awful courtyard, an' just wouldn't let up. It sounded t'me like there was water in me chest, but I wasn't sure and still reckoned it'd pass by.   
  
I still did my duties, but slower than before, which couldn't be helped as I was coughin' me lungs out with practically every other breath. An' then Mary's mum passed on, so she had to go an' make arrangements, and Mr. Poole was bein' run ragged around London lookin' for the right chemicals for Dr. Jekyll's work, so it fell to me to draw up his fire and keep the drawing room and his room clean. That was loads more work than normal, an' it just about killed me off, or so I'm told.  
  
I was lightin' the fire in Dr. Jekyll's room one night a couple of weeks after me punishment. Dr. Jekyll hadn't come in yet, but it was quite late and I felt sure he'd be up in no time, so I worked as quick as I could. The fire'd gone cold, so it was harder to start it up, and took me some effort in getting it to go. I felt another one of them coughin' fits comin' on, not the kind where ya have one or two short hacks, but the kind that doubles ya over and makes ya faint for want of air. While I was folded in two, trying to gain control of me lungs again, the only thing I could think was 'This is grand. I bet Dr. Jekyll walks in here any second to see me bent over like an' old hag.'  
  
Sometimes I just have the worst luck in the world, for at that very moment, Dr. Jekyll walked in. An' yes, I was bent over like an' old hag. He looked at me, both curious an' concerned, and said, "Kieran, are you all right?"  
  
I bit down hard on my lip and swallowed back the rest of the coughs. "Yes sir, I'm fine. Just got a bit o' ash down me throat."  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "Hmm...you look a little flushed..."  
  
"Well sir, I have been workin' on gettin' this fire up for a while now, 'tis probably the heat from that," I countered.  
  
"Indeed." Dr. Jekyll's gaze shifted to the fire, which, thankfully, was now roaring and bright.   
  
"Well sir, if that'll be all you require, I'll leave you now," I told him, standing up slowly. The room suddenly seemed odd, as if it were spinning and shrinking at the same time. I shivered--despite the fire, to me it seemed as cold as death in that room.  
  
"Kieran?" Dr. Jekyll's voice reached my ears from far away. I looked at the fire--it seemed to be sucking me in, filling my gaze with its strange, hypnotic roar. And I was falling, suddenly, and I couldn't stop myself.   
  
I felt two arms around me, pulling me back from the mouth of the fire and laying me on the floor. I looked up and saw Dr. Jekyll's face, eyes searching mine, he was saying something but I couldn't hear him. I blinked, an act that took far too much effort and lasted far too long, and suddenly sound came rushing back.  
  
"Kieran, you're burning with fever," Dr Jekyll said, even as he felt my forehead.  
  
All I could do by way of reply was shiver weakly. I noticed a blackness in my vision, it started at the corners and was slowly working to cover everything in sight. I met Dr. Jekyll's eyes then, I can only imagine how I must've looked, half dead and scared, but we kept eye contact until the blackness took over and I couldn't see or hear anything, and all I felt was cold. 


	5. The Darkness

Author's Note: I love people who review. Especially people who tell me what I need to do better. Thank you reviewers. I heart you all muchly.  
  
Disclaimer: Haven't you been paying attention? I DON'T OWN NO JEKYLL AND HYDE, YO! Foshizzle! Kieran, yo, he be my homie g. MINE, dawg, don't be stealin' him.--The Seahorse Ghetto.  
  
The Darkness   
  
Cold. Black. Endless. It was like Hell, I was sure I'd died. The cold was everywhere, permeating my body, biting into me and leaving me senseless as I choked up warmth. With it was the darkness, so thick I could feel it pressing into me, suffocating me. It seemed several days had passed before I could finally open my eyes.  
  
But, open them I did, even though the effort felt as if it were takin' me head off. 'Twas so dark and blurry I could hardly see, but it didn't look like no place I'd ever woken up to. "Am I dead?" I wondered.  
  
A dark shape loomed in my vision. I gasped, ready to will me sluggish body into a fight for life and death. Unfortunately, the gasping part made me start coughin' again, and I couldn'ta moved for anything.   
  
"Calm down, Kieran," the shape said. "It's Dr. Jekyll. How are you feeling?"  
  
Ah. Dr. Jekyll. I knew that. So I wasn't dead. That was good. But I still felt like it. I was about to tell Dr. Jekyll that, but then I remembered what had gotten me into this mess in the first place--Poole overhearing me. So I decided on a different answer, one that would suit Poole if he was lurking about. "I'm feelin' well sir, an' if ya don't mind, I'll be on me way n' get me duties finished." I struggled to sit up.  
  
I heard a chuckle from above me, and two hands kept me down. "Don't worry, young Kieran, the virtuous Poole is not allowed to enter this place," Dr. Jekyll said, in an amused tone. Answering my unasked question, he continued, "you're in the theatre area of my laboratory. You've been very ill, and I've needed to keep an eye on you while continuing with my projects."  
  
I bit me lip--doctors were costly to visit, and I felt sure Dr. Jekyll was no exception. I could only hope me wages could make up for some of the difference--I'd work the rest off. "I thank ya sir, I surely do appreciate your kindness...but how much shall I owe you?"  
  
"Owe me? Why, nothing," was the reply that nearly made me faint. Again.  
  
"But sir, surely I owe ya somethin' for your time an' help--"  
  
"Nonsense. As a member of my staff, I feel you are entitled to some...shall we say, health-care benefits. I am certain that when you are able to return to work, you will repay me by continuing as you had done before you fell ill."  
  
I coulda cried at his kindness. "Thank ya sir, I will."  
  
"Good. Now, you must rest, and I must return to my work. Get some sleep, Kieran."  
  
I winced--I could feel the blackness coming on again, and I knew I couldn't fight it off any longer. As me eyes closed, I glanced over at the increasingly blurry shape of Dr. Jekyll. Something was wrong with him, it seemed. I couldn't tell what...but I felt sure it couldn't be good for 'im. With this last, ominous thought, the blackness took over, and I was lost again. 


	6. Hyde

Back by popular demand (and constant peppering by noiseforyoureyes), it is Kieran and Dr. Jekyll!!!  
  
Disclaimer: All hail Robert Louis Stevenson and Valerie Martin! And Frank Wildhorn! We love these people! They give us Jekyll and Hyde! Original and fresh views! All hail! Crap! I realize I totally screwed up the timeline, but I do not care. That is why it is called a fan fiction. Don't hold it against me too much. I do my best.   
  
Note: Short chapter because about halfway through, my Muse flew away and, venturing too near a telephone pole, was electrocuted. Drat.  
  
Chapter Six: Hyde  
  
  
  
I continued to float in and out of consciousness. Sometimes I could see, and sometimes I couldn't. I could only sometimes ever form straight thoughts. I probably talked some, nothin' meaningful, but I only remember a couple of conversations I had, and even then only the more coherent ones. I remember faces, floating over me. Mostly it was Mary, but sometimes I saw Dr. Jekyll and the strange blackness that haunted him.   
  
And stranger still than that darkness, I remember hearing screams of pain sometimes, and sounds of stuff breakin'. And I remember one unfamiliar face that came 'round once in a while. It was a dark an' cruel lookin' man. Evil. I was sorta scared of him. In one of me rare coherent moments when Mary was there, I told her about the man.   
  
"Oh aye," she said. "The Master's taken on a young man to help him with his work, he's to be treated in the same regard as the Master himself." She glanced around. "None of us like him really, he's ...not the sort you'd expect to be working with the Master. His name is Mr. Hyde."  
  
I took a moment to think on this, a moment I didn't really have 'cause I was losing me hold on reality again. "Dr. Jekyll's never needed help before, not with his experiments. Why does he need it now?"  
  
Mary shrugged. "Well he is getting older, maybe he needs someone to continue with his experiments should he--God forbid it--die." Sensing I was slippin' back into unconsciousness again, she smiled at me. "Anyway, I don't guess you should be frightened if you see him around. The Master probably has him check on you when he can't come himself."  
  
This was all very strange. But I had little time to think on it, and as I was sucked into the blackness again, I half-grinned at Mary in thanks.   
  
I saw him more often after that, both when I was awake and in my nightmares. Oftentimes, I couldn't tell which was which, and scared me the most. Mr. Hyde seemed to me the very meaning of a nightmare. 


	7. The Watcher

Disclaimer: I love Jekyll and Hyde, but did not come up with them. Someday, I'm going to meet  
  
Robert Louis Stevenson (after I'm dead of course), and say "Oh. My. Gosh. You are the most  
  
brilliant man ever. Tell me all your secrets! I love you!" And he will say, "Your fanfiction  
  
sucked. Do not blaspheme my work ever again." And I will cry, but leave him alone, for he is  
  
the great Robert Louis Stevenson.  
  
You are only limited to what you can dream of. Hooray for people who like this story. Without  
  
you, this wouldn't have been written. Now the reason this has taken so long is, I pretty much got  
  
to where I had planned to go, so I've been trying to think of a direction to take this in. And my muse was, indeed, electrocuted. Anyone know where I can get a new one? I've tried ebay, perhaps I should search out a flea market? Anyway, enjoy.  
  
Chapter Seven: The Watcher  
  
I was off my feet for nigh on two weeks, and was startin' to go crazy with boredom, when Dr.  
  
Jekyll pronounced me healthy enough to go back to work again. It was a welcome relief from  
  
driftin' in and out of awareness, and wonderin' when the dark man--Mr. Hyde--would come.   
  
I was put to work helpin' Mary with her chores, I couldn't do much on my own yet, at least not when Dr. Jekyll or Mrs. Kent was around, as they'd scold me for overworking meself. Mr. Poole just glared at me whenever I was around, I tried to steer clear o' him, but Annie, Mr. Bradshaw, and Mary treated me the same as always.   
  
I felt pretty coherent most o' the time, though I've no doubt sometimes I hallucinated. It wasn't so much an all out vision as it was just a sense. A sense of someone watching. Waiting. There, in the dark corners, where the shadow devours the light. Someone was there. I could hear them, sometimes, but mostly I could feel them.  
  
It was at night that that feeling became the worst. After hours, when all us servants are to be a-bed, that's when I could feel him the strongest. I knew I wasn't the only one who could sense the Watcher, I could see it in the others faces, they were frightened too. The house had changed. I vaguely connected that change with the presence of Mr. Hyde, but as I hadn't truly met him yet, I couldn't really know how strong that connection--that feeling of evil--was to him.  
  
And then it happened. The day I met Hyde. The day that evil paraded its presence in my life.   
  
The day me mother came into me life.   
  
Reviewer Responses  
  
(Before I respond to any of y'all's comments, I just have to screech in delight because I know where this is going again. *SCREECH!!!!!*)  
  
All Mighty Terrestrial: THANK YOU. Bloody good insight there. I hadn't even realized Kieran was so ...stand-offish. It is rather difficult to get him more into the story because he IS my own character and I don't want to butcher the original characters too much, but I shall definitely consider ye're advice. Thank ye.  
  
Panzergirl: Holy cow poop. Jekyll is the coolest character in the whole entire world. I'm totally obsessed with him too : )  
  
EriEka127: You should beat me over the head more often, I'd probably update sooner. I'm sorry this took so long. But are ye happy now? And it shouldn't take me so long to spit new storylines out, because I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING AGAIN!!   
  
Is that a muse sitting at my window? MUSEY! You're home! Hooray!!  
  
Vampiric Hyde: Please tell me if Kieran gets annoying. I'll kill him. Really.  
  
Anonymous327: Yay :-) Glad you like it.  
  
Jayden: You are a pain. You are a fiend. But I love ye anyway. 


	8. Ill Met

Ugh, I'm a horrible person and haven't updated this for-freaking-ever. Part of that is because I got involved with a couple'a new fics, and part is because I forgot where I was going. Again. But since I like this story so much, I think I'll work on an update. NOTE: This chapter seems really, really, contrived. I already know this. It's fiction, people, work with me. This is why I'm not a real author.

Chapter Eight: Ill met

'Twas strange, how it happened, really, and not at all how I used to wish I'd see me mum again. When I was younger, I used to dream about meetin' up with me parents again. Me da would be tall, and strong, and proud o' me for gettin' along like I had, and me mum would be sweet, beautiful, and would take care of me. Lovin' me like I'd never been loved afore.

I know I said earlier that I didn't remember me parents at all, but that tain't entirely true. I remember some things–I remember me mum's face, I remember her eyes, but most of all, I remember a gold locket that she wore around her neck, a gold locket on a very unique silver chain. I don't remember me da at all, and why should I? Most men I know turn out to be drunkards, wife-beaters, an' generally lazy bums. Well, only men in my class. Unless highborn noblemen are all those things, only can hide 'em better than the poor folk. But Dr. Jekyll didn't seem like that at all.

Shortly after Mary got back from helpin' t'bury her mum, Dr. Jekyll had a chore for her, one, he said, that twasn't pleasant. He needed Mary to go to a rough part of town–rougher than most–and take care of some business in a less-than-questionable place. He sent me along for "protection," although I was scrawny enough the most I could do in a fight was get in the way.

So Mary an' I headed out through the narrow, filth lined streets o' London. We kept silent most of the way, despite being together we still felt uneasy and alone. We walked close to each other, heads down, coats wrapped tightly around ourselves. We ducked away from any who mighta come too close, or any whose grin was a little too leery.

The address we came to didn't make sense. I'd 'eard of this place, it was an 'horehouse. Surely Dr. Jekyll couldn't have any business in 'ere? I said as much to Mary, who bit her lip and shook her head. We stood there for a while, checking the address. I decided the only business the good doctor could have in such a stodgy place was to help the ladies within–he was a doctor, after all.

Mary and I went inside and talked to the owner of the brothel. I don't remember her name as well as I ought to...'cause what happened next shocked and hurt me so bad.

Normally I wouldn'ta been allowed to go to any o' the rooms, and that was fine by me, but Mary asked me to come along. So I did. We walked up the stairs, I jammed my cap onto my head as far as it would go, trying to hide my face. I couldn't wait to get out of the place. Stepping into a small room, Mary and I gasped loudly as we caught sight o' the place.

There was blood–everywhere. On the floor, on the walls, even on the ceiling. In some places I couldn't tell what color the wall was underneath the crimson staining of blood.

But that wasn't the worst part. The body...there was a body on the bed. It was covered with a sheet, but blood stained through. Mary looked as though she were going to be sick. I didn't feel much better. Mary started talking to the owner, but I didn't hear what they were saying.

The corpse's hand snaked out from under the sheet, and clenched tightly in its cold, white fist, was a silver chain, as distinctive as my mum's.

I yelped and ran to the bed, totally forgetting where I was and what I was dealing with. I pulled the sheet away from the corpse's face. I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think.

It was me mum, it was. How...how she had gotten here...and I was so close to her the whole time...and why in this place? Why did she have to be here? Why couldn't she have found other work?

I was vaguely aware of Mary pulling me back. I snatched the chain from me mum's lifeless hand and raced out of the damn place. I couldn't be in there anymore. The walls were closing in on me.

I half sat, half collapsed in the alleyway. Mary came out shortly after, carrying a sealed letter addressed to Dr. Jekyll. She stood over me for a while, not saying anythin', though I could tell she was burnin' with curiosity.

I pulled myself up and we trudged home. Halfway there, the inevitable question came out.

"Kieran...did you know that woman?" Mary's voice was quiet, cautious. She didn't want to hurt me, I think.

I nodded slowly. "I think–I mean, she was me mum. I...this chain was hers," I told her, holding up the silver trinket. "I know it was, she'd never 'ave sold it, and it was the only one like it in all'o England. And...that was her face. That was her." I swallowed hard, couldn't 'ave said anymore if I'd wanted to.

Mary nodded sympathetically and touched my shoulder briefly. That was all we said, the whole way back to Dr. Jekyll's house.

We had to report to Dr. Jekyll when we got back, an' anyway, we had the letter to give him too. Mr. Poole told us to wait in the library, so we did. I tried to be sneaky in findin' a book to read, if Mr. Poole saw me readin'...well. None of the books I saw looked any good to me, though. I surely wasn't in the mood to read any science books. Oh well.

Mary and I both started as the door opened with a bang. In limped a short, stout young man with greasy brown hair. This had to be Mr. Hyde. I tried not to shudder. The man was creepy. He had a vicious, sadistic expression in his brown eyes, and a permanent smirk on his face.

"You had a letter?" he snarled.

Mary nodded nervously and handed him the sealed paper. He ripped it open.

"Wait!" I cried, before I could stop myself. Those horrible eyes turned from the letter to me. I bit my lip. "It...it was addressed to Dr. Jekyll..." I explained.

"As I am his assistant, I have no doubt that he will not mind in the slightest. Especially since this particular matter concerned the good doctor as well as myself," Hyde sneered. "You are both dismissed."

Mary and I looked at each other. Dismissed from what, from the room, or from Dr. Jekyll's service altogether? And how to ask without offending Mr. Hyde?

"Well?" Hyde growled. "Get out! If you don't like the idea of spending the day with nothing to do, ask Poole! Surely he has chores for you."

Well that answered our question. Mary and I scurried from the library, I was too scared to even snag a book on my way out, but I did manage to look once more at Mr. Hyde. He was watching me, his eyes dark with a strange expression. He grinned slowly, one of the most terrifying sights I've ever seen, and winked.

It was then I caught sight of his hands. They were stained with blood, and in his grasp I caught sight of a gold locket.

Me mum's locket.


End file.
